Who We Are
by eventinierboat
Summary: Pirate AU. When Captain Lucy Heartfilia accidentally sort of kidnaps Prince Natsu while gathering supplies, her life is completely changed especially when she finds out that his fiancé's sister is the one who arrested her mother and is now planning on killing her. All Mashima's work and image belongs to respective owner. Enjoy!
1. What if We Run Away?

**Prologue:**

"Land Hooo!" Erza shouted, using a hand to keep her weight back to avoid falling into the water from her dangerous perch on a rather ominous pirate ship. "54 degrees to the left."

"Thanks, Erza," Lucy shouted back and went to work, steering them in the right course. She was captain, after all and this was her ship: The Zodiac.

"Levy, have any idea where this land is?" Lucy called over her shoulder to a rather mousy looking girl. Levy was the sailing master and oversaw all charts and maps as she planned their course.

"I think this is Magnolia of Ishgar."

"Yeah? Anything good?"

Levy scanned a few of her papers, searching for the right information.

"Holy… Cap'n, this place is a gold mine!" Levy quickened her research. "It says here that King Igneel actually brought the country back from the dead by becoming the number one trading spot in all of Fiore. We could get supplies for months from here!"

Lucy smiled as excitement filled her heart. A new day and a new jackpot for stealing.

"Juvia, take the wheel. I'm going to do a bit of… _Brainstorming._"

(190)

**Chapter 1: What if we Run Away?**

"Oi, get your butt over here before I get Jellal to do it for ya!"

Natsu groaned as he rolled over to face the evil person who had interrupted his precious sleep. He should have known.

"Damn it Ice Princess. Go away and let me sleep." He mumbled.

"Yeah, I don't wanna be here either, but you really need to get up or you'll be late. You and Gajeel have sparring in 30 minutes." Ice Princess reminded Natsu.

"Well that's too bad. I just want to sleep so Gajeel can go away and die." Natsu whined, trying to burrow deeper in his covers.

"So do I, but I'm stuck looking after your sorry _ass_ cuz it's my job as your head knight, so do _your_ job as the Prince of Magnolia, which starts with getting up to eat before your father finishes the bacon."

Natsu stared at the idiot in front of him, contemplating his options. Get some bacon, or sleep. It was a no brainer.

"Fine, you win Gray. Now get out of here so I can get dressed and eat my bacon."

Gray smirked and let out a chuckle as he exited Prince Natsu's chambers.

"Oh shut up!" Natsu roared from his bed as he stiffly got up. Yawning, he started to rummage for some clothes.

Gray was hysterical outside, leaning on the wall to support his weight. He didn't notice Jellal walk up and stop short at the sight of Gray.

"Do I even want to ask?" Jellal raised an eyebrow as Gray started choking in surprise.

"Um... no," Gray said, recovering. "Do you have the positions for tonight?"

Jellal nodded. "The usual. Gajeel, you, and me on personal guard for Natsu. We have Carla on Wendy."

Gray nodded and felt a pang of guilt. Natsu had no idea of what was happening tonight. He expected that King Igneel would fill him in probably during breakfast.

"What's tonight?" Natsu appeared, leaning on the wall casually, dressed in pants and a tunic. His sword was in its holster on his waist.

Gray and Jellal cursed, but were saved by a booming voice.

"Something important, so please listen to me for once, you brat." It was King Igneel.

Natsu narrowed his eyes at his guards before following his father who was already walking away with a bacon strip in his hand.

Both walked into the dining room and took a seat. Natsu wasted no time to start inhaling his bacon and pancakes. Something seemed off though.

"Hold up old man," He said, pausing from his desperate consumption of food. "The cooks _never_ make pancakes. What's this all about?"

Igneel coughed nervously. "Well, since you're 18, you need to find a woman"

"Not this again," Natsu moaned. "I ain't ready and I think I already told you that the last 40 times you've brought this up."

"And I said if you didn't pick a woman soon, I'd pick one for you." Igneel looked really ashen.

Natsu paled. "You didn't…" He trailed off.

"Well, you remember Princess Lisanna, right?"

"I think so…. We used to play with each other as kids all the time… why? What does she have to do with this?"

"Well, Queen Mirajane offered an alliance between our nations and…"

"No way." Natsu snarled, standing up. "I'm not marrying her. Sure, she's nice and stuff, but I'm not marrying anyone I don't love so you can stuff that half-baked idea up your you-know-where."

Igneel banged his fist on the table. "You're getting married and that's that. We can NOT afford to lose this alliance." He left no room for argument, and Natsu knew if he put up a fight, his father could and would barricade him in his room.

Natsu glared at his father. "When is it even happening?"

"Tonight."

Natsu could feel the world fading away as he digested the new information. No… not yet… not so soon.

"Tonight?" He whispered. Then, everything went dark.

-meanwhile-

Lucy smirked as she talked things over with her team. She had picked Erza, Juvia, and Levy to accompany her on this scavenge. Her plan, get as much as possible.

"Well, tonight is the perfect night to do this. Turns out that there is a _Royal Wedding_ tonight. We couldn't do better." Lucy was gloating.

"Who?" Juvia asked.

"Prince Natsu of Magnolia and Princess Lisanna of Strausslandia." Levy was reading this from newspaper she picked up. From where, nobody knew.

Yet, nobody noticed Lucy's smile falter.

"And the guards? Who's in charge?"

"Let's see, it seems that we have Jellal Fernandez for the Dragneel side and, oh god, Laxus Dreyar for Lisanna."

Lucy winced because Laxus' reputation preceded him. A brutal and cut-throat soldier whose strategies were flawless. No one was able to get past him and survive.

"So… would you say that the guards will be focused at the wedding today?" The question was directed to Erza, who had the most knowledge in this subject.

"Most likely. There will probably be a few stragglers in the castle to take care of people like us, but the weakest of the bunch. Easy to take out."

Lucy nodded and asked Juvia about the layout of the castle and prizes.

"Well, we need to hit one of two spots: the vault and the Prince's room. The vault is the easier one as long as we can crack the lock. If we do that, we get thousands of dollars. But, of course, there's the Prince's room which holds millions of dollars in jewels and decor."

Juvia had a gleam in her eye as she answered, which gave Lucy some shivers.

"Well, then… let's dock and mingle. Some petty theft, nothing too big. At 5 PM, we meet up and get ready, got it?"

"Aye!"

"Virgo, dock the ship!" Lucy shouted as she headed to her room, The Captain's Quarters, to change a little. Something light, not too heavy.

As she fished out some clothes, she almost knocked off and broke her only picture of her mother. She took a few minutes to actually look at it before blinking her eyes and putting it back. Now was not the time.

Within minutes, Virgo had expertly docked the ship and Lucy's team disembarked, fully equipped with weapons and supplies.

"Good luck, Princess," Virgo called.

Lucy waved a hand in acknowledgment as she blended in with the surroundings.

"Oh, we're gonna get soo rich," She sang to herself.

(1071 not including prologue)

* * *

**Well, I hope you enjoyed this since this was the winning idea from a small poll in Breath, my other story (that is over 2 chapters) at the moemnt. Honestly, from what I have written, it's going to be a little slow to start, but not uncomfortably slow if you know what I mean. Also, I have found it really hard to speel acknowledgement and I'm pretty sure I just spelled it wrong. Reviews and Feedback are always welcome, just no character hating pls (unless its Jiemma whos a serious ahole.)**

**Love y'all!**


	2. What if We Left Today?

**Chapter 2: What if We Left Today?**

Natsu bolted up, gasping.

"Oh look! Sleeping Beauty's awake."

"Oh bite me, Metal Breath." He groaned and stretched his back. "Why am I in the friggin' infirmary?"

Gajeel snickered. "Well, _someone_ fainted at the news of getting married. The whole routine with the flushing and hand to the forehead as you oh so gracefully flopped on the ground. Very amusing." He mimicked the action.

Natsu groaned. "Just shut up. You try getting married only 8 hours after finding out."

Gajeel had to admit his charge had a point. And to be honest, he was totally against the idea. Not only would Natsu be in the clutches of a total witch, her little giard possy would take over everything. The marriage was nothing more but a ploy for money.

"Damn it Gajeel, it's nothing more than a ploy for money," Natsu whined, repeating Gajeel's exact thoughts. "I'm not doing it."

"And how are you going to accomplish that?" He argued back.

"Dunno. Run away? Stage a kidnapping?"

"Yeah and when you get caught? What then?"

"_If_ I get caught."

Gajeel stared at him and Natsu gave up.

"Fine, _when_. Then I'll refuse."

Gajeel sighed. "And what would that do to your father then?"

Natsu contemplated the consequences for a few seconds. "You're right. It's useless. But I'm still not getting married so soon. I don't love her and I don't plan on loving her because of a forced relationship."

Gajeel shook his head. "C'mon. Let's spar and then maybe the answer will miraculously come to you."

Natsu had to agree with his reasoning and called for Gray to meet them in the training room.

"You called, Hothead?" Gray asked, annoyed at being called so rudely.

"FIght me." Natsu demanded.

"Okay." Gray had no problem complying. "Be prepared to get your ass kicked."

Natsu made it his goal to prove the opposite, consequently landing Gray in a position where one movement would result in his death if Natsu's weapon was real.

"What was that, popsicle?" Natsu grinned.

"Yeah, yeah… just get off." Gray mumbled as Natsu clamored off of his buddy.

"So, what now? Your father relieved you of all duties in preparation of the wedding."

"I'm going for a walk. You can come or stay. Your choice." Natsu said and promptly walked out.

Gray and Gajeel gave each other a look, both agreeing on the same thing. A spy mission seemed to be calling their names…

-meanwhile-

5 PM came all to quickly for Lucy, who had managed to steal 60 dollars from a store and get a free meal off of some lousy diner.

So, she proceeded to make her way to the park where they had agreed to meet when sudden screeching caught her attention.

"OH MY GOD! IT'S PRINCE NATSU!" A girl screamed. "HE'S SOOO HOT!"

Lucy tsked in annoyance. Pretty little brats who knew nothing of pain and misery the world around them. Of course they decided to flood the pathway in the park, blocking her from passing through. She had no choice but to walk around to the other entrance.

As she made her way, her eye caught the most gorgeous bouquet of flowers she had ever seen and before she even knew it, her feet led her to the flower shop entrance where the bouquet was placed.

"Sunflowers," She murmured as she sniffed the bouquet. Sunflowers were her favorite because they reminded her of her mother, Layla. Tall, yellow, and unique. No other flower even compared to their height.

Maybe she could put those jewels she stole to good use.

"Excuse me, how much for these?" She called, but frowned when there was no answer. She ventured inside the shop in search of someone who could help her.

"Hello?"

Her voice echoed back. So no one was there. Brilliant. But why were the lights on?

She quickly cased the store to make sure she hadn't missed a hiding place and came to the conclusion that she was all alone. That made her happy. She could steal anything.

Of course, right as she was about to pick up another bouquet, the door slammed and the lights went out. She had to admit she jumped.

Her eyes frantically searched and found a blur of pink running across the store and eventually hiding behind something, most likely the check-out counter.

Huh? A dog? No way, she definitely heard the door slam. Her heart skipped a beat. Could it be… another thief? A pirate?

"Who's there?" She called out, deepening her voice. She heard something knockover. She had no idea if the mystery person was hostile, so she searched for a weapon. The scissors were all she found and she slowly crept towards the counter.

"I won't ask again. Who the hell are you?"

There was some shuffling underneath, but no name still.

"Fine. You give me no choice." She muttered and jumped on top of the counter, landing without a sound. She peered upside down from the counter to see a man lazily lying about, tossing a small rock. Something about it really pissed her off as she jumped off the counter and landed next to this intruder.

"Final time: Who. Are. You?" She snarled.

The man sheepishly smiled and held up his hands. "Sorry. I'm not intruding, I swear! I just needed a little break from the carnage on the streets."

Lucy raised an eyebrow, but understood what he was saying.

"My name is na- uh.. Gray."

Lucy snorted. Was this man joking? Though now that she thought about it, he wasn't really a man. More like a teenager, but more mature looking. Maybe 19?

"What? Is there something on my head?"

"No, sorry… its just… maybe I should call you Pinky instead."

Lucy cracked up and dropped her guard as the man in front of her pouted.

"I was born with it, weirdo."

"Yeah, well… the gods certainly did not favor you," Lucy snorted. If only she knew how true that was. Somehow, Natsu was compelled to tell his story. Or a vague version at least.

"Tell me about it! I mean, who would have thought that my old man would spring up an engagement on me this morning?"

_And he called Lucy the weirdo…_

"Do you know her?" Lucy asked, generally interested. It was at these times that she was grateful to be a pirate.

"Well, yeah… but… I haven't seen her in ages."

Lucy cocked her head. "So… it's just a ploy for money…"

Natsu perked up and grinned. "That's what _I_ said to by, err…, charge? Yeah. I'm a bodyguard. But I can't do anything about it."

Lucy looked at Natsu and was about to say something before she was interrupted by knocking.

"Open up! We need to ask you some questions!" The intruders said.

Natsu's eyes widened and he shook his head at Lucy. He had a feeling who was a the door.

Lucy either didn't see it, or gave to sign that she understood his worry and got up and walked to the door. SHe opened it a crack and stepped outside.

"Hello? Is there a problem?"

"Umm, we're looking for Prince Natsu. Have you seen him around?"

Lucy did a double-take. "You lost your Prince? Are you serious? Of course I haven't seen him, but he seemed to be pretty popular our in the park a few minutes ago."

THe guards shifted sheepishly. "Well, Natsu likes to go out on his own often. Without permission."

Lucy narrowed her eyes. "Well, who says anyone need permission to live their own lives? Are you done here, or am I going to be kidnapped and water boarded in your castle dungeons?"

The guards slinked off in embarrassment and Natsu let out a sigh of relief.

"Seriously! What the hell are they teaching their guards?" Lucy muttered as she walked back to her new friend, wincing when she saw the time.

"Look, I have to go, but… about your problem. I don't know _when_ the wedding is, but if you want to take control of your own life, find a way out. Trust me when I say it's the only way."

Natsu looked at the blond woman in front of him and nodded.

"Goodbye, Gray," she said and skipped out, a sunflower in her hand. She paused for a second. "Remember, it's _your_ life." She once again rushed away, seeming like she was in a hurry.

"Bye, uh…" Natsu trailed off. Right...He hadn't even asked her name, yet she had changed his life and given him hope. Maybe Gray was right when he said he needed to work on his manners.

Nonetheless, her words replayed in his head, over and over again until he made up his mind.

No matter what, he was definitely not getting married today.

(1465)

* * *

**Hope You guys Enjoyed this! Now, I'm leaving on a trip so expect my updates to be random (or whenever I actually have WiFi). On top of that, I'm not allowed to bring my laptop! Gah! But... I have a solution to that.**

**How to amke a DIY laptop:**

**1- have an Iphone**

**2- have a man computer with a bluetooth keyboard**

**3- steal the keyboard **

**4- connect the keyboard to your phone**

**5- Boom! Instant makeshift laptop**

**Now for my responses to reviews:**

**TeamSophie909: Thank you so much! I'm trying my best to keep my writing in tip top shape!**

**Ushindeshi: Thank you sm! I'm working on mastering the skill of cliffhangers, so expect a lot in here!**

**Fluffy-Experiment: Ha! ****Thanks! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**Also! Chapters are inspired (and not copyrighted) by the song Youth. Again, I found a Jerza AMV on AnimeSafeHaven so do check it out! **


	3. What if we said goodbye to safe & sound?

**Chapter 3: What if we Said goodbye to safe and sound?**

Lucy sprinted to the meeting spot, scolding herself for losing track of time. As she grew closer, she could see her crewmates, all looking slightly angry.

Juvia turned to see Lucy jogging towards them, looking guilty.

"Well, it's about time, Lucy!" Erza exclaimed.

"Sorry," Lucy said. '"I got caught up in the crowd in the park and took refuge in a store."

Levy hmphed and looked pointedly at the flower in Lucy's hands.

"A souvenir?" She asked.

Lucy blushed. "Doesn't matter. Let's get going. We need to hurry if we want to sneak in on time."

Erza gave Lucy a rather suggestive look before reluctantly ending this excellent interrogation. Together, the groups of rather unsuspecting girls discussed their plan as they walked to swamped looking restaurant.

"So Levy, did you manage to swipe the uniforms?" Erza asked. This was an essential part of their plan. Without the uniforms, they had no way of getting in.

Levy shivered. "Yeah, but there was this guy who looked pretty suspicious of me."

Lucy saw a chance. "Suspicious? How?"

"Well, he kept staring at me like I was some sort of _criminal_."

Lucy sighed. "Levy-chan. You're a pirate. Just being associated with one brings the death penalty in most countries, so its safe to assume they consider us pirates as the worst of the worst."

"Yeah, but _he_ and his piercings didn't know that."

Lucy brushed the matter aside. "Anyway, now that we have the uniforms, we need to change. They won't expect us 'pirates' to sneak in stealthily."

See, that was what made her crew so deadly. They were different from the run of the mill pirates. They had mastered the art of stealing and sneaking, which made them richer than most.

Juvia nodded. "And once we sneak in, Juvia will lead us to the vault. Juvia has the map memorized."

"And then, I," Erza said, "will fend off all intruders while you steal what we need."

Lucy nodded, but had a question. "What about the Prince's room?"

Juvia bit her lip as she went through the chances. "Juvia thinks that there is a low chance that we will make it. The wedding is taking place rather close to the castle so Juvia has a feeling that the Prince will wait until the last minute to head over."

Lucy sighed. Damn it, she really wanted to see the riches in his room.

"Unless…" Juvia continued. "Lucy can find a way to get into the Prince's chambers as a maid."

Lucy smiled. "Then it's a good thing that I look damn good in a maid's outfit."

The girls had set up shop in a dinner, not too far from the castle, after they called Aries, another crewmember, to be their getaway driver.

"Lu-chan?" Levy asked, sipping a very watered down glass of mead.

"Yeah?" Lucy asked as she munched on some breadsticks she stole from a table in the entrance.

"After this, will we be able to get your mother back?"

Lucy felt her eyes water. "I hope so. From what Aquarius reported, her execution date is in 2 months."

Levy gasped. "That's a long time! Why so long?"

"Well, there's a backup in the schedule since I had the last executioner killed."

Lucy's eyes were gradually darkening.

"I don't care how many people I kill, but I'm getting my mom back. And then there's the fact that I'm probably going to have to ask Sabertooth to be out backup, so Yukino will probably convince their Captain Sting. Still, it'll be pricey."

Levy nodded and quickly changed the topic.

"Well, Erza's back. And she looks cute."

Lucy looked up to see Erza confidently walking back in her cook uniform. Levy couldn't find anything else that would have fit her very tall friend.

Lucy smiled and grabbed her own maid uniform and headed to the bathroom as Juvia also came back, wearing a server's uniform.

The one thing all the uniforms had in common was a rather large skirt to hide their weapons.

Once Lucy finished changing, she looked in the mirror and winced. The bags under her eyes seemed way too noticeable and her hair was getting dull from the stress of getting her mother back.

She tried to brush her hair with her fingers, but there were too many knots in her hair, so she settled for a braid. Her hair looked a little better, but not too much.

Sighing, she exited and made her way to her friend's table.

"Ready?" She asked.

They nodded and stood up. Lucy left a few coins at the table for payment before catching up to her friends.

"Let's blow this popsicle stand!" She exclaimed.

[meanwhile]

Natsu had made his way back to the castle in deep thought, effectively hiding from his annoying guard.

What the girl had said made up his mind and he decided that he would at least try to run away. Of course, the first problem would be his guard. Sure, maybe he could rope Gajeel into this and maybe even Gray, but Jellal would be a toughie.

Maybe they could knock him out and tie him up. Or-

"Oof," Natsu said, winded from a sudden impact into muscle.

"Found him!" The muscle said and Natsu looked up, sighing.

"Metal Brains. Didn't expect to see you here!"

Gajeel raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Natsu exclaimed, feigning innocence. "_I_ didn't lose the crown prince. You did."

"Only because you are too stupid to stay out of trouble," Gajeel growled.

"Speaking of losing the crown prince," Natsu said, ignoring Gajeel's comment. It didn't flow with his half-prepared speech. "I think you should lose him again tonight."

Gajeel groaned. "No this again."

"Nonono! Hear me out!" Natsu said.

"Fine? What's your dumbass plan this time?"

"I think I could run away. Y'know… while you and Gray delay the wedding and then come with me."

"Okay. Say I agree. What about Jellal?"

"Either convince him to come with or knock him out."

"And when Gray and I are charged with treason for kidnapping you? Where will we hide?"

Natsu froze. He hadn't thought about the consequences for Gajeel and Gray. Yet he had an answer.

"Tenrou Island."

"What is this? A Fairy Tale? Tenrou is just a myth."

"But if we find it? No one else would find us."

"That's a pretty big if. And still, say, for the sake of your argument, that we do hide out there. How are we going to survive? None of us can cook and you can barely do anything but fight. I don't want to spend the rest of my life taking care of you."

Natsu clutched his chest in mock pain. "That hurt dude."

"Natsu," Gajeel growled. "Be serious."

"Fine. I can learn."

Gajeel sighed when Natsu resorted to puppy eyes.

"You know I don't want this anymore than you do. But, this is your duty to your country."

Natsu flared his nostrils. "Well, I didn't ask for this damned duty. Hell, all I want is to live my own life like any of us so don't give me that excuse. In fact, you can shove it up your ass. I'm leaving with or without you."

With that, he stormed away from Gajeel in some random direction.

"Castles the opposite way, dumbass."

"Go to hell!"

"Yeah yeah, I'm already there and I'll probably be seeing even more of it if we pull this off."

Natsu turned around sharply to see Gajeel glaring at Natsu.

"Seriously?"

"Under one condition: from here on out, you do everything I say. Got it?"

Natsu pursed his lips.

"I don't know…"

"Otherwise, I'm locking you in your room and telling Jellal and Gray everything."

"Fine. Deal. Now let's-"

"Tell me what?" A voice asked.

Natsu and Gajeel jumped, slowly turning around to see Gray raising an eyebrow.

"Uh," Gajeel stammered. "We…"

"I'm running away." Natsu stated bluntly and Gajeel resisted the urge to whack his head.

"Is Gajeel on board?"

"Yeah!"

"No!" Gajeel and Natsu shouted at the same time.

"If Gajeel's in, then I am. I have a feeling that without me, you'll fail."

Cue some scoffs from both other people.

"Besides, I can't stand Princess Lisanna's guard. That Evergreen gives me the creeps."

Natsu laughed. "That's mighty full of you, but I'll take it."

"Well, I'm the only one with connections to a ship, so yeah. You better take it assflame."

Natsu chuckled. He just _might_ have kind of forgotten that detail. Nonetheless, he was getting out of this shithole.

* * *

**Again, sorry for the wait. No wifi=no uploads but lots of writing. **

**No review responses this chappie! Sorry :/**

**But hope this was enjoyable**


	4. There's a Revolution Coming Your Way!

**Chapter 4: There's a Revolution Coming Your Way**

Juvia led the girls to the servant's entrance and they all slipped past the guard. It took a while for them to navigate their way through the overly crowded hallways of the castle, but Juvia and Levy worked together to find the kitchen. Erza and Juvia were dropped off according to the plan. Erza wasted no time in ordering the cooks around, changing the menu whenever she felt.

"What is this?"

The cook's voice quivered when she answered. "A-apple pie, ma'am."

Erza curled her lip in disgust. "Apple? Nu-uh. The only fruit fit to be present in any desert are strawberries. Start making a strawberry cheesecake."

Meanwhile, Lucy and Levy were put to work immediately, and ordered to start tidying one of the many guest rooms in the South Wing. Levy reported that they were two floors from the vault and on the opposite side of the wing from the Prince's room.

Lucy sighed as she and Levy spent the next hour cleaning around the castle, eventually making their way to the vault.

They were waiting for the arrival of Princess Lisanna, as much as Lucy hated to admit it, and once the Princess arrived, half of the castle workers were assigned to take care of her.

That left them the opening they were waiting for. During the chaotic shift change, Erza and Juvia slipped away unnoticed and made their way to the basement to meet Levy and Lucy.

Once they met up, all except for Lucy and Erza changed out of their uniforms. Lucy said goodbye and made her way to where Levy said the Prince's room would be.

She awkwardly smiled at other workers as she pretended to be assigned to the Prince's room. She knocked on the door to see if anyone was there. When no one answered, she entered happily, smiling when she saw all the expensive items littered carelessly across the room.

"Ah, it seems you've gotten too careless, Prince Natsu," she sang.

[meanwhile]

Natsu jumped when Jellal called his name.

"Hey Natsu?"

"Yeah?" Natsu called back. "I'm in the weapons room."

He heard footsteps and Jellal appeared around the corner. When he saw Natsu, he sighed.

"Hey! What was that for?" Natsu said, offended. Most people don't sigh upon seeing the crown prince.

"Princess Lisanna has arrived and you're all sweaty."

Natsu rolled his eyes. Not her again.

"Yeah well, normal people would swoon because I look hot. I mean, my abs are pretty defined right now. Right?"

Jellal rolled his eyes right back.

"Yeah, if by normal people, you mean total weirdos."

Natsu humphed.

"Whatever. I'm hot and you know it. I know! Let's see if this Lisanna girl thinks so."

"Yeah, the King ordered me to tell you to change."

"And you told me. 20 Jewel says she thinks I'm hot."

Jellal chuckled, and really hoped that this marriage didn't change him too much.

Natsu cracked countless jokes on the way to meet Lisanna and Jellal couldn't help but laugh. When they reached the front gates, Natsu saw Lisanna waiting in her carriage, almost expectantly. Jellal didn't miss his small frown or sigh. If only Igneel knew what this was doing to Natsu.

"Oh! Natsu! It's been so long!" She called and Natsu forced a grin.

"Yeah… it has…" He said. Lisanna looked impatient, so Jellal nudged him forward.

"The hell?" Natsu hissed, not daring to drop his smile.

"Invite her in. Open the carriage door. Be a gentleman."

"For God's sake, you know I'm not a gentleman." Natsu sighed, but did it anyway.

"Welcome, Lis!" He said, his voice full of fake cheeriness. Lisanna wasted no time in taking the hand Natsu offered as she stepped out of the carriage. She sniffed, and then wrinkled her nose in his direction.

"Just came from some sparring?"

Natsu shrugged as Jellal started worrying if Lisanna would get offended.

"Lost track of time and I was too excited to see you to change." He said.

Jellal balked. There was no way that just came out of Natsu's mouth.

Lisanna seemed happy at this response.

"Well then, I won't hold you up any longer. Though, you that shirt does look good on you like that." Lisanna winked before letting Laxus lead her inside the castle.

Nastu sighed as he watched her enter. She seemed so… entitled and snobbish. Yeah, she would definitely cramp his style.

"So are ya gonna tell me how you pulled that off?"

Natsu looked confused.

"Pulled what off?"

"The whole smooth moment when you completely turned the tables. I seriously thought she was going to hit you for not changing."

Natsu chuckled. "I read something similar to that in one of Mrs. Spetto's dirty books a couple years ago."

"And you memory was able to go that far back?"

"Oh shut up."

"Then again, I am concerned about your addiction to these 'dir-"

"Jellal, can ya do me a favor?" Gajeel interrupted suddenly, coming from nowhere.

"Yeah? What?"

"Can you fish Natsu's crown from down below? Igneel says he needs to wear it for the ceremony."

Natsu groaned. "Not the crown."

Jellal and Gajeel whacked him in the head.

"Sure thing. As long as you get this pervert upstairs and into the shower so he doesn't smell like a sewer rat the entire time."

"Oi!"

"Yup. See ya later, Jellal."

After Jellal left, Gajeel raised an eyebrow at Natsu. "Pervert?"

"Nothing. He's lying."

"Suure."

"Speaking of pervs though, you were totally staring at that tiny blue haired girl's ass when she was picking up some uniforms."

Gajeel blushed. "Yeah yeah, let's go stink butt."

Jellal hummed to himself as he raced down the steps to the vault. Natsu really hated the crown for some reason and constantly left it in random places when he was little. Igneel had given up and stored it in the vault unless there was an important ceremony to prevent someone from stealing it. No one except for him and a few select others knew the location of the Vault, let alone the combination, so he was rather surprised to see a beautiful redheaded cook leaning against the wall.

"Ma'am? Are you lost?"

The cook jumped, even squeaking a bit. _Too cute_.

"Oh, I um… was looking for the bathroom."

"I'd be happy to show you to the nearest one. You really shouldn't be here."

Jellal found it odd that she was able to get so far into the castle without being noticed. Then again, everyone's been busy with Lisanna.

"I'd love that. Thank you very much kind sir. Though, I apologize."

"For what?" He asked.

"This," She said, and subsequently whacked his head with the hilt of her sword. Wait… Sword? Since when did sh-

"Shit," He murmured before giving into the darkness that surrounded him.

"Girls? Tie him up. He's coming with us."

"Are you sure Erza?"

"Yeah. If he wakes up or someone finds him here, then we'll really be in trouble. Actually, I'll go up and check on Lucy. If he's here, then she's about to be compromised."

* * *

**Here's another chapter! Enjoy!**


	5. What if We're Hard to Find?

**Chapter 5: What if we're Hard to Find?**

Natsu yawned as he and Gajeel made their way to the to his room.

"I mean, why does she insist that I change? If she really loved me, she wouldn't care if I was all sweaty or dressed in my stupid 'royal garments' for this wedding."

"Well maybe she wants you to have _some_ decency. After all, she's marrying a prince, not a barbarian."

Natsu sighed as Gajeel opened the door for him. He half expected Gajeel to follow him inside, but he stood guard outside.

Well, maybe Gajeel should have come. What was he going to wear? Speaking of a different devil… Gray entered.

"Why are you here ice dick?"

"Well you and Gajeel can't pick out clothes for your life, so I was sent by your father."

Natsu shrugged as he plopped on his bed, stretching. Man, couldn't the day pass by any faster so he could just get out of there?

"In a minute. Imma take a nap first."- Doc Manager

"Nu uh. Lisanna will have my head if you take too long." Gray said, pointing to the closet. "Show me what you have."

Groaning, Natsu reluctantly (and painfully slowly) made his way to his rather large closet. If Gray wanted to play this game, oh he was gonna play.

As mentioned above, his closet was enormous, not that we wanted it to be. He opened the doors and walked in, wondering which row held his official garments. Yeah, it was big enough to hold multiple rows of shelves and hangers.

To be honest, he would need to pack some practical clothes if he was going to run away. But to keep up appearances, he'd have to dress up for Lisanna first unfortunately. So, he ended up in the back of his closet, absentmindedly sorting through one fancy tunic after another. Red, blue, Green… it all went over his head. Yet, a rather interesting one caught his eye.

It was black, yes, but it only had one sleeve with a rather nice golden trim. Where was this hiding all this time?

Grabbing a few others so Gray didn't make a fuss, he made his way to his bed.

"Well, what do you think?" He asked, bored as Gray pretended to actually examine them.

"I don't care. Pick one."

Natsu snorted. "Then why are you here?"

"To help you pack, doofus."

"Oh. Right."

"Just go change while I grab some stuff."

"Yeah. Focus on the 2nd row, left side. That stuff should be good."

"Damn Princess." Gray muttered before being fully emerged in the maze Natsu called a closet.

Natsu, on the other hand, didn't move until he was sure Gray was out of sight and stripped off his slightly singed shirt.

"Also, please make sure you strip _inside _the bathroom. I really don't want to have nightmares because I saw you naked through your oversized mirror."

Natsu stuck out his tongue in response and made his way to the bathroom, but not without striking a few sexy poses to which Gray complained rather colorfully.

Shutting the door, Natsu laid his clothes on one of the many chairs before looking for that smelly soap Wendy gave him. Maybe that would get Gray to shove off. If he recalled correctly, he'd had her put it in that gold box some random princess gave him. Where was it?

"The hell?" he mumbled. He squatted to look through some drawers, but a flash of yellow caught his eye.

"Hey!" he shouted, getting up quickly and turning around. "Who's there?"

He heard something being knocked over and he grabbed the nearest weapon like thing: a hairbrush.

Wildly looking around, he saw something shiny on the ground.

"A thief, huh? You fool. Are you stupid? What made you think robbing the Prince was a good idea?"

While his bathroom was pretty big, there weren't many places to hide and judging by the open door, the thief had been hiding in the bathroom closet. **(Just go with me here)** That left the bathtub.

Grinning, he crept to the bathtub, ready to swing. Except no one was there.

Natsu instinctively ducked and heard the air being cut as something heavy swung above his head. Damn it.

"Behind the curtain? Really?" He complained, swiping a foot out, successful tripping his attacker.

FInally, he was going to get a good luck at the bastard and then call for Gr-

"Holy Fuck, I know you."

Natsu dropped the hairbrush at the sight of the very girl who had changed his life.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?" They shouted simultaneously. The girl stood up and brushed the dirt off her skirt.

Natsu pouted. "Excuse me but I live here," he said, only realizing too late that he had said that he was Gray.

"Here, uh, in this castle of course."

Lucy swore. "You're part of the Prince's guard, aren't you. Great. Just the person I needed to meet. Wait… then why weren't you looking for the Prince when he went missing?"

Natsu started sweating. He didn't know why, but something told him not to real his true identity. Maybe it was the way she treated him like a real human… an equal... Wait… wasn't she a thief in the first place?

"So I'll be going now," She said, backing up to the door. Natsu squinted. Was that a ..blush? Shit. no. Bad Natsu. He needed to stop her, not oggle her.

"Not so fast. As one of the most trusted people in this palace, it is my duty to prevent all threats to the Prince. And it seems you are one of them."

That sounded knightly, right?

The girl shrugged.

"Sorry Gray. I really have to go and while, I hope you live a good life and shit, I also have my own which is pretty packed with important things to do. Hope you find a way out of that marriage!"

Natsu took a step towards the girl and she took another one back. For some reason, her face got redder. She was staring at something. Unfortunately, he never got to find out since the door swung open.

"Lucy! Are you okay? I've neutralized the threats outside and the girls are waiting with Aries, so we need to hurry if we're going to make it back to the ship."

"Lucy?" Natsu asked quietly. Not as in…

"Sorry Gray. I hate to admit it, but I really liked you for a stuck up and snobbish guard."

Captain Lucy, infamous captain of The Zodiac.

"I take it you're Gray?" The redhead asked. Natsu could only nod. After all, he was in front of the number one wanted pirate. If his father found out she was in his palace at that very moment….

"Put a shirt on you pervert. Lucy, you take the one in the front of the closet. I got the one with piercings. Oh, and don't forget the bag yours was holding."

"What the hell are you doing?" Natsu growled.

"Tata," Lucy said as she heaved his best friend on her shoulder and left. Damn it! Why couldn't he have moved? Done something?

But then again… a ship… Maybe… it was a way to get out of here. Of course, that's if the guards were idiots and didn't see two very suspicious girl carrying to tied up and knocked up guards.

* * *

**Enjoy...**


	6. What if We Lost our Minds?

**Chapter 6: What if we Lost our Minds?**

"So was he part of that souvenir?" Erza asked.

"Huh?"

"You knew his name. Besides, he looked pretty betrayed when he found out who you were."

Lucy sighed sadly. "We got trapped in a flower shop and I gave him some good advice. Poor sap was stuck in an arranged marriage. Who would have thought…"

Erza gave a smile. "Well, I think he took it. I mean, he didn't try to stop you so maybe that was his thanks."

Lucy shrugged. "Whatever. What really worries me is that we might be currently kidnapping the Prince."

"Huh? What makes you think that?"

"Well, why would there be three guards in the Prince's room, but no prince? Mr. Piercings is too ugly, so I'll bet you this one's Natsu. But he looks pretty familiar…"

"Shit. You're right. Let's hurry out of here and then set him free somewhere else far away."

The girls practically sprinted with the two men and a bag full of stolen trinkets, miraculously drawing little attention due to the arrival of the pampered Princess. Of course, their luck ran out when a random guard stopped them.

"Ma'am. What are you doing with those two guards?"

Lucy mustered up a lie quickly. "Well, the Prince knocked them out while sparring and we're just bringing them to my aunt's house to get them treated."

"Damn it, not again. Yeah, please go ahead. How the hell did he manage to do it this time?"

"No idea, sir, but thank you!" Lucy gave a cute grin before leaving.

Once past that obstacle, they rushed to the carriage where the rest were waiting.

"We should go," Lucy shouted after not so gently throwing the kidnapped guards in with them.

"So just how many kids are we adopting Lu-chan?" Levy asked, not very amused.

"3 if we're lucky. Of course, I'll bet there'll be more so we need to hurry. Erza, keep a lookout. I'll summon our ship."

Erza nodded and leaned out the window to eventually climb onto the top of the carriage where she sat, sword ready. She couldn't see anyone following them, but she was prepared if they did.

Meanwhile, Lucy climbed onto the platform where Aries sat with the reins in her hands. Holding onto Aries for support, Lucy reached deep into her skirt and pulled out a golden key.

"I summon Virgo and the Zodiac!"

As they neared the dock, Golden sparks appeared along the water, swirling until they formed the shape of a ship.

"Oh Princess! Shall we go?"

Lucy smirked, leading her crew on board. She ordered Juvia to put the tied up guys in one of the rooms while she and Levy planned their next course of action. Of course, this was after changing into more comfy clothes.

"Well, right now, we need a bigger crew."

Lucy made a face. "Do we really?"

"I'm sorry, but your celestial spirits aren't enough. We need numbers and able fighters. You can't summon all of them for so long before completely crashing from lack of energy."

Lucy had to admit her friend was right. "Well, we have the four of us and maybe we can convince a couple of our new children to fight with us. Oh! And probably a few of my spirits."

"That means we need at least five more people if we stand a chance. Normally I'd recommend more, but Erza counts for like, 50 people and each of your spirits are pretty powerful. Let's head for Tortuga and see who's willing to follow us."

Lucy nodded. "Then it's settled. Virgo, we're leaving in 30."

[meanwhile]

Natsu frowned at his own apparent stupidity. He had just let his best friends (who just may have been plotting to run away with him) get kidnapped by some annoyingly wise and cocky pirate.

What the hell was he doing? He should be after her and her goddamn scary friend, yet… could it be…

Natsu felt sick. There was no way he was doing this. But still… it may be his only chance.

The last thing Natsu did before leaving with this cloak covering his face was hug his sister. He didn't know when the next time he'd see her would come.

He pulled on his hood as if doing so would hide him even more while running down the street. So she was a pirate, right? That meant if she wanted to get out of the kingdom, she'd need to have a ship. If she had a ship, she'd currently be at the dock, which is where Natsu ended up slightly panting ten minutes later.

It wasn't hard to spot her ship and he seriously wondered what the hell the security was doing while Pirates pretty much invaded the kingdom. If he ever came back, he'd be sure to change it.

No one was really doing anything on board as the sun started setting, the light highlighting the wooden ramp that served as the only entry onto the ship.

"I'm fucking crazy," Natsu murmered as he crept up the ramp and into the ship, not knowing what was about to come.

[time skip]

"Ready when you are, Virgo!" Lucy shouted from the map room.

She was planning the new route with Levy and Juvia. Tortuga was meant to be pretty impossible to find and therefore the route wasn't very easy. From what she had heard, the fastest route was sailing through the Fiorian Ocean and around the Kingdom of Crocus. The only problem: She was the most wanted person there, so they'd have to be careful. Still, once they made it to Tortuga, they'd get some (hopefully loyal) crew members.

"I'm on it, Princess," Virgo shouted back as she signaled Erza to get the sails ready.

"Alright. 20 knots north and a three degrees east." Levy shouted, relaying their due course.

Virgo used her magic to Steer the ship in the right direction. Since everything was figured out for now and Virgo was at the wheel, Lucy decided to head to her chambers where she would change out of this stuffy uniform and get a few minutes of rest. Juvia was the one who forced her to rest since she hadn't slept in a couple of days. Then again, who needs sleep? **(Certainly not High School Students… and don't get me started with college students)**

As Lucy sorted through her closet, she had a funny feeling. What was this prickling sensation on her neck? Was she being watched?

Lucy drew her sword in response.

"Who's there?" She said, feeling the slightest sense of Deja Vu. She swore to god… if _he_ was here.

There was silence and Lucy decided that she was most likely hallucinating from exhaustion. She sheathed her sword and groaning, flopped on the bed. Her skirt spread around her as she closed her eyes, ready to let sleep take hold of her. Of course, she just _had_ to hallucinate the sound of something crashing to the ground and heavy knocking on her door.

"Go away," She mumbled, yet still walked to the door to open it. It was Erza.

"Erza?" Lucy asked.

"Sorry, but one of the prisoners is demanding to talk to you. He says his name is Gray."

Lucy froze. "Huh? But we didn't take Pinky. Which one?"

"Black hair, no piercings."

"So do you think he's the Prince like I said earlier?"

Erza made a face. "Or Pinky's the Prince. Either way, we're in deep shit."

Lucy groaned. This just _had_ to happen, huh?

"Whatever. I'll deal with it after a nap." Lucy said, accidentally cutting Erza off by slamming the door in her face.

Lucy flopped back into her bed and buried her face in her pillow, which was held fastened in her arms. She narrowed her eyes as something felt off. There was a smooth material under her pillow that was most certainly, NOT her pillow.

She yanked and was only somewhat surprised when someone came tumbling out of her bed.

"Hold up… Gray? GET OUT OF MY ROOM! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HERE!"

* * *

**... The Double Chapter for WWA's 1 month anniversary**


	7. What if We Let Them Fall Behind?

**Chapter 7: What if we let them fall behind?**

Erza almost tripped when she heard Lucy scream something and proceeded to sprint back to the Captain's chambers. She didn't even bother knocking when she more or less kicked the door open to see Lucy pointing her pistol at Pinky.

"How dare you sneak into the Captains' quarter!" Erza shouted and unsheathed her sword to point it at the perverted intruder.

Panting, Lucy immediately grabbed another weapon, this time a sword, from behind her and joined Erza in the cornering of the intruder.

"Why are you here?" Erza growled, jabbing her sword menacingly.

Pinky scrambled back in fear, holding his hands up in innocence only for the two pirates to close in on him.

"Don't make me ask again," Erza said, her scariness intensifying.

"Alright, alright! Just give me a sec." Pinky said pleadingly. "I swear I'm unarmed."

Lucy lowered her sword and motioned for Erza to do the same.

"What are you doing here?" Lucy asked.

"You took my friends. I came to get them back," He said defiantly.

"I'm assuming you mean the three idiots we picked up back at your little castle when we completely bypassed your so-called security while stealing a big chunk of your riches, then yeah. I guess we did take your friends."

Erza let out a chuckle at Lucy's crudeness.

"But if you haven't realized, we kinda sailed away from your little castle a while ago so there's no way we're going back. Especially since they'll have noticed that not only is half of their treasure gone, but their crown prince too. Isn't that right _Prince Natsu_?"

Natsu gulped. He admitted that he hadn't really thought this all the way through and was now regretting his crazy decision. Worst of all, they knew who he was, which meant that he now was most definitely seen as a ransom to them. This was bad.

* * *

Gajeel woke up mid snore only to find himself tied up and bound by the wrists and ankles. At first, he panicked. Where was he? Why was he bound? Was the Prince safe? Who else was captured?

Blinking the blurriness out of his eyes, he found the answer to his last question when he saw Gray and Jellal sitting in the same position as him, still knocked out. That baffled him, but also let him in on who was behind this. From the way he saw things, it was understandable if one of the Prince's Trio was knocked out, but for all three -Especially Jellal- to be knocked out, it meant that they were up against someone strong… most likely a terrorist or-

"Oh look! Metal boy is finally awake," a voice called from behind him, causing him to jolt. He hadn't even sensed anyone else's presence. He heard the clicking of heels and finally saw the face behind the voice. But did that face have to be so familiar?

"It's you," Gajeel growled. _The one with the nice ass_.

"Surprise! Levy McGarden at your service," the woman said, smiling as she spread out some maps on a nearby table.

"Where am I?"

"Take a look around and guess."

"Well, all I see is wood this and wood that. It's like I'm on some sort of ship."

"Oh look! Now that wasn't so hard, right? You are on a ship and now I can assure you it's not too hard to tell what type of ship it is."

Gajeel studied the cocky woman in front of him. Big hat, pants, blouse with vest, and most importantly, a pistol safely strapped on her waist. And then there were the maps… It all pointed to one word: pirates.

"As soon as the Prince and King find out, you're a dead woman walking." Gajeel snarled.

Levy snorted. "If it was that easy to sneak in and steal so much, then I doubt it'll interfere with our plan. Besides, I doubt the Prince is going to have much to say in the matter."

Gajeel snarled. "What did you do to Prince Natsu?"

Levy finally looked up from her maps to stare at Gajeel. "Actually, we didn't do anything. But from what went on half an hour ago, I'd say that it's entirely up to Natsu to decide your fate."

Gajeel could have sworn he felt his heart stop. There was no way… no way at all that Natsu even dared to… that bastard….

"NATSU!" Gajeel roared as Levy laughed at his reaction.

Natsu was in serious trouble. If they got out of this alive of course.

Speaking of the little devil…

Natsu sat on the chair that belonged to Lucy's desk. He wasn't resisting, or even planning to because the scary redhead, who Natsu now knew was called Erza, had made it clear that she had no problem seriously hurting him if he did so.

From what he had heard, Lucy was going over their course to Tortuga with someone named Levy and had also filled her in on what had just happened. When she came back, Natsu stared at her indifferently.

"Where are they?" he asked.

"Safe and tied up," Lucy said. "But with that aside, I'm asking the questions from here on out. First off, let me get something straight. You came here for the sole purpose of collecting your friends, correct?"

"Sort of."

"Explain."

"Well, you know how I said I was in an arranged marriage," Natsu asked, sheepishly rubbing the nape of his neck. Lucy felt the dread in her stomach increase.

"Shit don't tell me… You're planning on running away from your kingdom by using us as an excuse and means of transportation. I have half a mind to just throw you overboard right now." Lucy fretted.

Natsu paled. "Please don't do that."

"Do you know what this means for us?" Lucy asked incredulously. "One word from you and suddenly we've not only stolen from the King, but also kidnapped the crown Prince. How do you think that'll affect us?"

"Well, you didn't kidnap me. Why would I lie?"

Lucy scoffed. "To hide the fact that you were running from Lisanna and to avoid a war between two very tense kingdoms."

"But…"

"Hey Erza… if we drop them off in Tortuga, do you think they'll leave us alone? I'm sure Sabertooth will help cover our tracks."

Natsu's ears literally perked up at the mention of Sabertooth. Another pirate crew on Igneel's 'most wanted' list.

"Sure, but what'll stop them from lying then? Of course, if we keep one of the guards as insurance, then we'll be safe for sure."

Lucy groaned as she rubbed her face. Maybe this was just a nightmare and she'd wake up any sec-

"Look. I don't wanna go back because if I end up being forced to marry Lisanna, then what's the point of all this?"

"Yeah well your father will find you anywhere you go so you don't exactly have a choice."

"That's true. But I know of a place he won't find me or the others."

Lucy had to resist laughing at the stupidity of that statement. "Oh really? Where? Because last I checked, there's no island other than Tortuga that your father hasn't sunken his talons in and trust me when I say that any Prince would be eaten alive in Tortuga."

"Tenrou Island."

Lucy and Erza flinched at the mention of the name and Natsu could see recognition in their eyes.

"Take me there, and you won't be bothered by my father."

"Fat chance. No one here or on Tortuga knows where it is."

Natsu saw something new in Lucy's eyes. Was it… regret? And there was something about the way she phrased that sentence. No one here or on Tortuga, the two places he was definitely seeing. But what if Lucy knew someone not in either of the two places mentioned… and what if that someone knew the location of the legendary Tenrou Island, home to the greatest of all Pirates.

"But you know someone who does, don't you?" Natsu suggested, grinning as Lucy showed subtle signs of panic.

"Doesn't matter. There's no way I'm taking your royal ass there anyway." Lucy said, definitely.

"But it's a pretty good looking royal ass, right?" Natsu wiggled his eyebrows, but his attempt at humor reached deaf ears.

Lucy slammed her hand on the table, scaring the shit out of Natsu. "This is not the time to joke around. We're leaving you and your friends in Tortuga and that's that. Good luck making it out of there yourselves."

And with that, Lucy and Erza stormed out of the room, leaving Natsu all alone to fear for the worst. Because if they were left with no weapons or anything on that cursed island, they wouldn't last one day.

* * *

**HAPPY NALU DAY! Also, sorry about that last chapter... late nights tend to fry my brain. Enjoy!**


	8. What if We're Never Found?

**Chapter 8: What if We're Never Found?**

Lucy needed to blow off steam since that goddamn Prince was so irritating. So what if they probably wouldn't make it to the next morning? It wasn't her fault- well… she was only responsible for two of the guards. But still. She totally didn't feel any guilt about her decision. Nope not at all.

"You're feeling guilty, aren't you?" Erza suddenly said, making Lucy jump in surprise.

"No," Lucy said defensively, but crumbled after Erza gave her a pointed look revised her answer to a maybe.

"You should help them," Erza suggested. "We did kind of kidnap his guards, so it's only right."

Lucy whined. "But he's insufferable."

"And he's on an unfamiliar ship filled with potentially dangerous pirate who could kill him if they wanted."

While she really had a point, Lucy still wasn't convinced, so Erza decided to throw one last punch, no matter how guilty it made her feel.

"Your mother would have done so."

Erza could see Lucy fall into her memories of their previous captain, Layla Heartfilia, who'd been captured saving her daughter. Lucy blamed herself, of course, but in a way, they all shared the blame.

"...fine." Lucy said, blinking back tears. Both knew that it was a dirty move, but it had worked. Natsu and his friends were safe. For now.

But Lucy didn't have time to worry about that because they had arrived at Tortuga and her first stop was Fairy Tail, her favorite bar. And maybe she'd introduce her new friends to someone they really needed to meet.

[at about the same time…]

Gajeel was about to strangle someone when Gray and Jellal stirred.

"Well, you guys look like you take your beauty sleep pretty seriously."

"Huh?" Jellal murmured, not fully conscious of where they were.

"It's about fucking time!" Gajeel roared, successfully bringing the two our of their groggy daze. Jellal blinked a few times before accepting the fact that something bad had happened and he had a feeling it fell mostly on that gorgeous redhead's shoulders.

Opposed to being collected like Jellal, Gray panicked as he finally realized he was tied up and immobile.

"What the hell happened? Is Natsu okay? Where are we?" He said, not stopping for a moment until Jellal stopped him.

"I think Gajeel has your answers. Just calm down and let him explain."

Gajeel looked smug and, against his better judgement, enjoyed his current superiority.

"Well, somehow and someway, some damn pirates got past our pathetic security and then kidnapped us and stole half our fortune. And then, our idiot Prince decided to play the hero and tried to rescue us and is most likely trying to grill them about his half baked plan. So yes, we are currently captive on a pirate ship and our fate is in the hands of a moron."

"Excuse _me,_ but I am most definitely not a moron." A very offended voice whined at the doorway. Gajeel swore he'd never been happier to see Natsu.

"Debatable," another voice said flatly, reminding him that it wasn't just Natsu there.

"I'm Captain Lucy Heartfilia and somehow, this moron has convinced me to help you find Tenrou Island."

[right about when Natsu decided to become a pirate]

Princess Lisanna hummed happily as she waited in the Castle Chapel. Today was the day she would marry the love of her life. For about the fifth time, she poked her head out to look for her groom-to-be and felt her heart sink heavier into her chest when she couldn't spot his signature pink hair. Upon seeing her sister's disheartened look, Queen Mirajane sent a reassuring smile and decided to talk to King Igneel. What she walked in on was not quite what she expected.

"What do you mean you can't find them? How hard can it be to find a guy with bright blue hair, for Christ's sake! Jellal can't have left this castle without one of us knowing."

"Um, your highness…" a meek voice piped up.

"Ah, Happy. I hope you bear some good news."

"There was a guard who saw a group of ladies carrying Gajeel and Jellal out of the castle. He said they were knocked out by Natsu during his sparring and getting treated at their leader's aunt's house."

Igneel growled. "Impossible. First of all, all royal employees are to be treated by the Palace physician. Second of all, Jellal was just fine when he went to retrieve the cro- shit. Has anyone seen Natsu's crown?"

Igneel abruptly stood up and sprinted to the vault with Mirajane not far behind him.

"My apologies Igneel, but what seems to be the problem? Lisanna cannot wait all day."

"Well, Natsu and his guards have disappeared and I fear I have been robbed."

"WHAT!?" Mirajane exclaimed. "Did he run away? Have cold feet?"

"I have no doubt that the thieves took advantage of your arrival to rob the vault and may have knocked out my son's guards when they came to get his goddamn crown."

Igneel stopped in front of the vault and quickly put in the combination, not caring if Mirajane saw. As the door opened, all hopes he'd had vanished. Half of the riches he'd stored in the room were gone, including the crown.

"Fuck!" He shouted and turned to let his advisors know, but Mirajane stopped him.

"Wait! There's a note."

Igneel saw where Mirajane was pointing to, and picked up the note.

"Easiest vault ever. Sorry, not sorry. SIgned, L.H.?"

"That's not possible." Mirajane insisted. "The L.H. stands for Layla Heartfilia, Captain of the Zodiac. But I captured her. She's currently locked up in Tartaros."

"_The_ Zodiac?"

"Yeah. Famous pirate ship with an all girl crew. But without a captain, they're useless."

"And yet, somehow, we have proof that they've robbed this vault and who knows what else. It's also safe to assume that they've kidnapped at least Jellal in their efforts. How the hell did they do this?"

Igneel stalked into the hall and towards his son's room. Maybe there was a clue there, yet when he arrived, most of his son's things were gone. But even more, he found a piece of what he assumed to be rope on the floor.

"I'm sorry Mirajane, but this wedding will have to be postponed. Right now, our priority is finding whoever did this. Say, whatever happened to the ship?"

"Well, that's what makes them famous. Everyone one of the crew uses magic. And the Captain always has Celestial magic, which is how they summon the ship."

"Magic? That would suggest they come from a royal family."

"Your guess is as good as mine. But one thing I know for a fact is that these people are dangerous. Do not hesitate to annihilate them."

"So then where would they go if they had a bunch of loot?"

"Only one place: Tortuga." Mirajane said eerily. No army had ever made it back alive from Tortuga, the only safe place for pirates.

"Happy! Ready the ships and the army. We're heading to Tortuga."

**[Some Background on this world]**

**Magic:**

Magic is something that exclusively belongs to all Royal houses and families. For example, Mirajane and Lisanna come from the Kingdom of Strauss which specializes in transformation magic. But you do not have to be of direct bloodline to practice magic. For example, those in the Thunder Legion, such as Laxus and Evergreen, are well versed in magic for the sole purpose of protecting the princess. Laxus has mastered his abilities in Lightning Dragon Magic, only available to him because of his long lineage, while Evergreen dabbles in multiple types of magic (though her main magic is -).

The same can be said for the Dragneel Kingdom. Princess Wendy has followed her mother's footsteps in studying Sky Dragon Slayer's Magic while Natsu has followed his father in fire dragon slayer magic since their lineage comes directly from an era where Dragons and humans rules together and shared power. So far, aside from Laxus who studied in the Dragneel Kingdom, all dragon slayer magic is only available to those who serve King Igneel.

**Tartaros:**

This is an infamous prison on an island within the reign of Queen Mirajane where she keeps the most dangerous criminals. She enjoys keeping them there for a while and her demon souls influence her desire to see them suffer for a while before killing them. Other than this, Queen Mirajane is not cruel, but a kind queen who'd do anything for her people.

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**Ok. SO I know it's been a while, but I swear to god the amount of homework I have doesn't end. That's why I'm going on a semi-haitus for this month. In other words, please don't expect updates every 5-8 days, but more like really random ones. You see, on top of the hw I have, I also have been neglecting my writing bc I was too lazy. Usually, I like to be 2 chapters ahead when I update, yet I have ended up with only half of the next chpater written and no time to finish it. So I'm really sorry, but please be patient. **

**Aside from that, enjoy this chapter!**


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